Traverse City has long been known as a recreational destination, with its 100-plus mile TART Trail system, the scenic Boardman River and the east and west arms of Grand Traverse Bay. In recent years, the region has also become a mecca for craft beverages like wine, beer, cider and spirits. It only makes sense that blending such activities would deliver a unique and exciting experience for locals and visitors alike.
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Just like his customers, Jason Thelen’s hand-crafted stand-up paddle boards are one-of-a-kind. Utilizing years of experience as a furniture maker, he launched Little Bay Boards in 2014 to introduce others to artistically-designed hollow wooden boards that are stronger, lighter and last longer than traditional foam boards.
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As one of Michigan’s early lumber towns, Muskegon quickly grew up as an industrial and social center. Community leaders like Charles H. Hackley and Thomas Hume built elaborate homes, donated funds to build libraries and hospitals, laying a foundation for the future.
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Janet Schrader was just five years old when she first began to play along the sandy, freshwater shores of Lake Michigan, after moving with her mother and siblings from the Chicago area to Berrien County in southwest Michigan. Her grandparents belonged to the historic Prairie Club, officially called Hazelhurst Camp, in Harbert and it was here that she learned to swim and build her first sandcastle.
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Located in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo, the AAA Four Diamond Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center is the perfect home-away-from-home for leisure and corporate travel.
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Last summer, a 184-mile stretch of the West Michigan Pike, from St. Joseph to Silver Lake, became the state’s latest Pure Michigan Byway™ during a public ceremony at Muskegon’s Heritage Landing. The Michigan Beachtowns Association (beachtowns.org), which represents more than a dozen shoreline communities, collaborated with Travel Michigan and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to develop the byway.
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Michigan was founded on January 26, 1837 as the 26th state of the United States of America—making this year its 180th Birthday / Anniversary (depending on how you look at it). The Historical Society of Michigan has a fun celebration planned!
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Michigan is home to nearly 20 historic forts, some dating back to the early 1700s—decades before the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Detroit was founded in 1701, its first fort being built that year by the French and destroyed a century later by the 1805 fire which ravished the city. The British-built Fort Lernoult (renamed Fort Detroit and later Fort Shelby) was constructed in 1778 and demolished in 1827.
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Early voyageurs to Michigan made their way around the state by birch bark canoes. Then, it was Great Lakes steamers and the railroads that transported families to their northern cottages for summer respite.
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Traversing along Michigan’s snow-covered ski trails, one can work up quite an appetite. Imagine being able to stop along the route and nibble to satisfy your hunger and provide extra energy to keep you moving along.
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Pat Harrison gets paid to play with his food – and he loves it! The former graphic designer and amateur cartoonist has built a reputation as one of the finest pumpkin and vegetable sculptors in Michigan.
“I started with Halloween Pumpkins,” says the outgoing agri-artist, who has dubbed himself ‘Lord of the Gourd.’ “Once I was deemed old enough to carve without cutting off my fingers I was allowed to carve my own creations and I guess I never stopped.”
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The Michigan Hemingway Society is currently accepting reservations for its annual conference, October 14-16, at Stafford’s Perry Hotel in historic downtown Petoskey (a property built in 1899—the same year Hemingway was born and a place where he stayed in 1916—paying just 75 cents for his room). This year’s Michigan Hemingway Conference theme is 1919—the last year that a 20-year-old Hemingway spent in the Walloon Lake area, 10 miles southwest of Petoskey.
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The blogging world was just taking shape in 2009 when Shannon and Cortney Casey stepped into the local wine scene with MichiganByTheBottle.com.
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